


Change in Tactics

by Ariyaquila



Category: Hermitcraft RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Cross-Posted on Wattpad, Gen, H.E.P. vs Mycelium Resistance, fantasy? kingdom i guess
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-05
Updated: 2020-11-05
Packaged: 2021-03-09 00:15:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,637
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27395584
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ariyaquila/pseuds/Ariyaquila
Summary: Since when can Etho strategize better than the leader of the rebellion himself?
Relationships: None, i dont ship but you take this how you want to
Comments: 6
Kudos: 57





	Change in Tactics

**Author's Note:**

> Takes place in an unknown alternate universe where the Hermits are part of a kingdom. The war between the H.E.P and the Mycelium Resistance is more than just a mere storyline. It's a legitimate rebellion.  
> Might be slightly out of character, my apologies for that.
> 
> Cross-posted on Wattpad under a different title (same username).  
> The one on Wattpad, though, is slightly different from this version due to me adding a few things here.

Battered, bloody, and bruised was not ideal in a war, and yet, the Mycelium Resistance found themselves in that exact predicament.

"Are you sure we want to continue?" Impulse said, taking stock of the outside damages and the injuries of the other members. “At this point, any loss to our ranks or supplies would be a damaging blow to our success.” He eyed the general who seemed to not hear his words.

After a pause, Grian’s eyes tightened slightly, his eyes still pinned on the pawns and maps laid out before him. "They haven't found our headquarters," he said, absentmindedly poking at the pawns. From his side, Stress silently passed him a clean cloth for the minor cut on his forearm. Grian took it without his eyes leaving the table, muttering thanks to the medic.

"I'll take that as a yes," muttered Etho, leaning in against the nearby pillar with his arms crossed. "I mean, I'm all for the movement, don't get me wrong, but…” he trailed off with a sigh. “Scar is the king. If he catches anyone that’s involved with the Resistance, he can order them to be executed on the spot. Not good if you ask me.” Impulse shook his head silently, neatly stacking the papers in his grasp so all the corners and edges lined up.

Grian’s grasp on the edge of the table tightened. “No, that’s not good.” He bit his lip, tugging at the neck of his sweater.

“Then there’s False, who can demolish most of us with just a sword. Probably could do just as well with a stick.”

“True.” At the admission from the general, albeit slightly strained, a distraught expression started to etch itself into Impulse’s face. 

Though, before he could say anything, Etho continued, “Also can't forget Xisuma, you know how damaging that man’s tactics are.” Etho then hummed to himself, his smirk clear in his eyes. “There's a reason he's the general of the entire army of our kingdom. He doesn’t get his skill from nowhere, you know what I mean?" The quartet in the room simultaneously winced. They had experienced Xisuma’s tactical destruction first hand. They had to take several weeks to recover from a certain battle that no one in the Resistance ever speaks of.

A familiar silence settled over the central room of the Resistance Headquarters. It happened often enough in this exact situation (Grian obsessing over his map and his friends watching him) to where it was no longer awkward to sit still as the general thought.

“Impulse and Stress?” Grian said, turning his head and finally looking away from the table. “Ren and Jevin are apparently planning something and they said they needed your guy’s help?”

The two addressed nodded silently. At least planning with the other higher-ranked people would take their mind off the fact they were vastly outplayed in this war.

Their receding footsteps became background noise as the general moved again, reaching over the board with his hand hesitantly hovering over the group of pawns he had moved closer to the H.E.P. Headquarters.

With a scowl, Grian pulled one of the pawns closer to where their HQ was located. "Back where we started.” He dropped into his chair, leaning his head on his propped up elbow.

Etho hummed again, adjusting his mask and fixing his hair. The general didn’t even bat an eyelash at him.

“I'm not quitting unless I get my life tortured out of me." Grian pounded his other fist on the table, the pawns wobbling slightly. "They're trying to suppress the rights of the other citizens. It's so painfully obvious- well, to us- that they're using 'environmental protection' as a cover. But some people are so blind and just believe the government! They even tricked their own members.” The Hermit then glanced over his shoulder to their flag on the wall. The mycelium block sewn into the fabric is only the façade of what they’re trying to fight for.

Etho tilted his head, following his Grian’s gaze. Before he started talking, a chuckle passed his lips. “Honestly yeah. But I don’t think X is tricked, I’m pretty sure he just hates mycelium.”

Grian snorted, a ghost of a smile touching his lips. Unfortunately, it was gone as soon as it came. “All bias aside, we have to stop Scar. I can't let this happen, Etho."

Etho nodded. "Uh-huh... but I didn't say you had to."

Grian only raised an eyebrow at that, nudging one of the extra pawns that were placed at the edge of the table.

He limped closer, analyzing the placements of the pawns. His fingertips ghosted above the locations on the map. The normally neutral expression on Etho’s face was replaced with one that showed intense and in-depth analysis. If Grian listened hard enough, he could almost hear the gears turning in the redstoner’s head.

"What I'm saying is that we need to change our strategy," Etho finally said. Grian narrowed his eyes, an offended glint sparkling in his eyes.

"Does it look like we're not-"

"General, please let me finish." Grian sat back and folded his arms on his chest. Only Etho would have the guts to interrupt him. "There's a difference in strategy and tactics. A strategy is a long term thing, tactics are something you'd change to achieve the strategy. You've been changing tactics, not the strategy."

Grian scowled again. "Etho, if you keep-"

"Your main strategy is to use brute force to take down the government. The tactics you change are within the fronts, all you do is switch up who's fighting and who's not. Maybe sometimes they will change what they do, but overall, it stays the same." Etho shrugged. “Sure, you have your smart moments, like tricking the H.E.P. into the same fake base… what is it now, eight times? But it’s not enough in the long term.” As the redstoner spoke, he had been moving the pawns around. It wasn’t a drastic change in the slightest. Each pawn was positioned an inch in another direction, and it didn’t take Grian long to figure out what Etho was doing.

He bit his knuckle, tilting his head. Being more spread out and planning his attacks in many places rather than focusing on one area would sure make it easier to distract the H.E.P.

With a reluctant and slightly humiliated sigh, Grian waved to the table. "Alright then, Mr. General, what do you suggest we do?"

Etho forced a huff from his lungs. "Former lieutenant, actually. Used to be second in command to Xisuma before I traveled elsewhere for a while," he corrected before leaning over the table. He grabbed two of the seven pawns and moved them behind the H.E.P. Headquarters. As he grabbed two more and put one on each side, he said, "I know Xisuma would be expecting this at some point, but probably not so soon. Surrounding them this late in the war always catches the other side off guard, and the H.E.P. tend to not guard their backsides because you focus so much on the front." He patted the chess pieces and withdrew his hand from the well-used (maybe a bit too used) battlefield.

Grian squinted at Etho suspiciously, absently messing with an extra pawn. "And how do you know that?"

The smile on Etho’s face was evident in his eyes. "I sneak around during attacks sometimes. Anyways, you might want to go with this for a few days, then change it again. Later, probably use mostly range attacks, not just swords and axes." Etho then leaned back with an impressed whistle. "Xisuma really got those archers trained to shoot between the shields, but their archers don't have shields because we never use bows or crossbows. So if we just…" The strategist imitated an arrow whistling through the air, quickly followed by a… probably death noise.

Grian pursed lips, eyes pinned on the formation around the opposing headquarters. "Noted. I guess.” He leveled Etho with a mock glare. “But you were just lecturing me on my strategy and all you've changed is the tactics. Got any advice on that?"

"Right." Etho clapped his hands together. "Do you really want to destroy H.E.P., leaving nothing but a burning hole in the ground, or do you just want to get the point across?"

"It's all about the principle, duh."

"Then maybe try for less destructive outcomes," Etho said with a wink. He pushed himself away from the table, heading in the direction of the infirmary. Grian growled to himself, crossing his arms and pouring all his attention at the maps and pawns.

"Oh my goodness, this is so frustrating, so often you answer in riddles," Grian muttered. Etho circled the table, standing next to the general of the Resistance. 

"It takes time to master the art of strategy. I myself haven’t yet. You're only brushing the surface of it. Think of this as a learning experience, Grian," the former commander said, patting Grian's shoulder. "Can't get better unless you make mistakes. Plus, with me here, I'm sure we'll be okay." Etho pulled his mask back for a short moment, giving the general a mischievous grin.

Grian groaned, slumped in his chair, and dragged a hand down his face as Etho continued to limp towards the infirmary. “How humble. Now please, remind me why you aren’t the general?”

Etho fixed his mask, but the crap-eating grin was not hidden, even with their backs towards each other. Perhaps the slight snigger gave it away. 

“I just wanted a participation award, is that too much to ask for?”

But before Grian could glance over his shoulder and reply with his smart come-back, Etho had vanished, not even the sound of footsteps was left in his wake.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading, and have a great rest of your day/night <3


End file.
